S-beam garment hanger

ABSTRACT

This injection molded plastic garment hanger has a body part formed as a horizontal beam having a generally S-shape cross section, a hook at the top and optional spring clamps, hooks and projections on the beam for engaging, holding and supporting garments.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of injection molded plastic garment hangers for transporting and displaying garments on racks, and particularly garment hangers of the type where the body part of the hanger below the rack-engaging hook is a generally straight horizontal bar having a plurality of spring clamps, hooks and/or projections for engaging, holding and supporting garments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Common molded plastic garment hangers of the type whose body parts are thin straight beams, often bend and sometimes twist and buckle when loaded. Since these hangers are made, used and discarded by the millions, economy of manufacture is important, and accordingly, these hangers are frequently designed to have a thin I-beam cross-section which requires a relatively small amount of plastic for a moderately strong hanger.

The problems of twisting and buckling are common because of the nature of loading of the hangers, where garment straps or other garment elements are attached at the ends of the beam, thus producing cantilever loads and bending, twisting and buckling stresses. I-beam design, while common, is limited in its usefulness because the size dimensions of garment hangers are restricted, and the amount of plastic that can be economically used is also restricted. One example of a prior art molded garment hanger with an I-beam structure is U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,557 which is incorporated herein by reference.

I-beams, whether used for building, machinery or garment hanger construction, follow well recognized and well studied scientific rules of bending, shear and twisting stress loading and deflection. When using I-beams for building and machinery construction, a design engineer typically calculates the required thicknesses and breadths of the I-beam's webs and flanges, with size, weight and cost being secondary to strength and safety requirements. In the field of garment hanger construction, attempts have been made to utilize this knowledge of I-beam construction; however, it is not feasible to simply make the hangers larger, thicker or increase flanges of an I-beam body shape, primarily because of the increased cost of material and manufacture in this very high volume industry and also because added weight or size is undesirable.

The present invention involves the development of a different and non-traditional beam structure, which provides the desired strength and resistance to twisting and buckling, with the quantity of plastic required per hanger and the cycle time for manufacture essentially the same or less than what is required for prior art I-beam hangers.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE NEW INVENTION

One object of this invention is to provide a new molded garment hanger which has greater strength and resistance to buckling when loaded with a garment than prior hangers which were considered unreliable. Buckling in this application means excessive bending primarily in the forward and downward directions, which may be forward twisting. It is an object to provide hangers that resist such buckling and thus support and present the garments in a more desirable manner.

It is a further object to provide buckling resistant molded garment hangers which have generally the same outer dimensions as prior art hangers, and preferably have similar cross-sectional area which means they would contain essentially the same amount of plastic.

It is a still further object in certain embodiments of the invention that the new hangers have cross-sections that are generally uniform.

It is an additional object that the new hangers have greater resistance to buckling than prior art hangers having I-beam or M-beam construction.

Another object is to provide molded hangers that are economical in regard to cost of material and cost of manufacture.

In summary, it is an object to provide molded hangers that are better in resistance to buckling and in other regards than prior art hangers.

Hangers of the new invention may have a variety of known body part shapes including but not limited to a straight horizontal beam shape, rounded shoulders shape, and a low profile shape with opposite shoulders elevated above the central section. In a first embodiment the new invention is an injection molded plastic garment hanger having a straight horizontal beam body part with an S-shape cross-section. Load and displacement plots from test results reveal that a beam having this new S-shape cross-section has greater strength and resistance to buckling than do beams of generally equal cross-sectional area in prior art I-beam or prior art M-beam configurations.

In this first preferred embodiment the S-shape cross-section has upper and lower curves which together form a continuous central web. Each of said upper and lower curves has a free end formed as a generally horizontally extending foot with an oppositely extending heel. The foot and heel at the top and bottom of the new S-shape correspond generally to the top and bottom flanges of a prior art I-beam. The web and the flanges of the new S-shape have generally uniform thickness.

Within this S-beam cross-section is a central longitudinal axis which divides the cross-section, such that there is essentially equal lateral extension or equal area on each side of the central vertical axis. Corresponding to this central vertical axis of the S-shape is a central vertical plane extending lengthwise of the S-beam. With respect to this central vertical plane, the toe of the lower flange foot, the upper curve of the web and the heel of the upper flange all extend the same distance forward, thus establishing a front plane of the beam. The toe of the upper flange foot, the lower curve of the web and the heel of the lower flange all extend the same distance rearward of the central vertical plane, thus, establishing a rear plane of the beam.

A garment hanger using the new S-beam has a typical rack-engaging hook extending from the top of the beam. This preferred embodiment also has spring clamps at the opposite ends of the beam respectively for engaging garments, and has spaced apart fingers extending downwardly from the bottom edge of the beam for engaging the garment.

The first preferred embodiment may be summarized as an injection molded plastic garment hanger comprising:

a. a hook having a top part, a stem extending downward from said top part and a bottom part, and

b. a body part formed as a generally horizontally extending beam having a central part and arms extending oppositely from said central part and terminating in opposite ends,

said bottom part of said hook being joined to said central part of said beam,

said beam's central part and arms comprising a web having upper and lower portions and extending lengthwise of said beam and extending downward from said hook,

said web in cross-section defining a generally S-shape comprising upper and lower portions thereof, and

said web's upper portion having a top part which extends forwardly as a top front flange of said beam terminating in a font edge, and said web's lower portion having a bottom part which extends rearwardly as a bottom rear flange of said beam terminating in a rear edge.

In a further embodiment of the new hanger, said continuous upper and lower curves of the S-shaped cross-section define a web with top and bottom flanges which extend generally horizontally in opposite directions respectively, each of said flanges comprising a foot having a toe portion that extends forwardly and a heel portion that extends rearwardly.

In a still further embodiment of the new hanger said S-shape has a generally central vertical axis corresponding to a central vertical plane of said S-beam, wherein said top and bottom flanges extend forwardly and rearwardly substantially the same distances respectively from said central vertical plane.

In a second preferred embodiment of the new garment hanger, the straight horizontal beam body part has a modified Z-shape cross-section formed as an upper Z directly above a lower Z, where the bottom horizontal foot of the upper Z serves as the top horizontal foot of the lower Z. These top and bottom feet correspond to transverse flanges in an I-beam. The material between the top and bottom horizontal feet is a zig-zag web which has generally uniform thickness. The top and bottom feet have thickness similar to that of the web thickness. In this double Z combination beam the upper and lower Zs share a common central vertical axis, which is not an axis of symmetry because of the nature of the double Z shape.

The Z-beam hanger, in summary, comprises:

a. a hook having a top part, a stem extending downwardly from said top part and a bottom part, and

b. a body part formed as a beam extending transversely of said hook, said beam having a central part and arms extending oppositely from said central part and terminating in opposite ends,

said bottom part of said hook being joined to said central part of said beam,

said beam's central part and arms comprising a web having upper and lower portions extending lengthwise of said beam and extending downward from said hook,

said web in cross-section defining a generally Z-shape comprising a stem, with upper and lower portions of said web forming respectively a top front flange extending forwardly and terminating in a front edge, and a bottom rear flange extending rearwardly and terminating in a rear edge.

In a still further embodiment of the Z-shape hanger the web in cross-section comprises a set of upper and lower Z-shapes, where each Z-shape has upper and lower generally horizontal feet, and where the lower foot of the upper Z-shape comprises the upper foot of the lower Z-shape, this common foot being an intermediate flange between said top front and bottom rear flanges.

In a further embodiment said upper and lower feet define upper and lower flanges respectively of said Z-beam, and said shared foot defines a middle flange.

As indicated above, the S-beam and Z-beam cross-sections may be incorporated into various body part shapes including a hanger having traditional rounded shoulder hanger and a hanger having low profile shoulders that rise above a central part.

The low profile hanger, in summary, comprises:

a. a hook having a top and bottom parts, and

b. a body part formed as a transversely extending beam having a central part and shoulder parts extending outward from said central part and terminating in opposite ends,

said bottom part of said hook being joined to said central part of said beam,

said shoulder parts being at an elevation above said central part, wherein said central part and said shoulder parts define a generally low profile shape, said beam's central part and shoulder parts comprising a web extending lengthwise of said beam and extending downward from said hook,

said web in cross-section defining a generally S-shape comprising upper and lower portions thereof,

said web's upper portion having a top part which extends forwardly as a top front flange of said beam terminating in a front edge, and said web's lower portion having a bottom part which extends rearwardly as a bottom rear flange of said beam terminating in a rear edge.

On comparing stress/displacement plots for the new S-beam and the prior art I-beam, the results for straight horizontal test beams demonstrate that the S-beam shows less twisting and buckling deflection from the same vertical loading. Details of the loading and deflection plots are presented below, which demonstrate impressively how the S-beam is substantially stronger than the I-beam against buckling loads, despite the fact that both beams have essentially the same cross-sectional areas, consume essentially the same quantity of plastic, and have about the same height.

Further features and advantages of the invention as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of the new garment hanger having an S-beam cross-section,

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 of a second embodiment of the new garment hanger having a Z-beam cross-section, taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 5,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the beam of the second embodiment hanger represented by FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing vertical cantilever loading of a prior art I-beam having restraints at one end in the vertical and transverse directions,

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the I-beam of FIG. 7 showing Y-displacements (vertical) from vertical loading,

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of the I-beam of FIG. 7 showing Z-displacement (transverse/horizontal) from vertical loading,

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view 180° rotated about a vertical axis from FIG. 7, showing buckling in a forward twisting orientation from vertical loading of the I-beam of FIG. 7,

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing vertical cantilever loading of the S-beam for use in the garment hanger of FIGS. 1-3,

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view (load plot) showing Y-displacement (vertical) from vertical loading of the S-beam of FIG. 11,

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view (load plot) showing Z-displacement (transverse/horizontal) from vertical loading of the S-beam of FIG. 11,

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing buckling in a forward twisting orientation from vertical loading of the S-beam of FIG. 11,

FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing vertical cantilever loading of the Z-beam for use in the garment hanger of FIGS. 4-6,

FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view (load plot) showing Y-displacement (vertical) from vertical loading of the Z-beam of FIG. 15,

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view (load plot) showing Z-displacement (transverse/horizontal) from vertical loading of the Z-beam of FIG. 15,

FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view (load plot) similar to FIG. 10 showing buckling in a forward twisting orientation from vertical loading of the Z-beam of FIG. 15,

FIG. 19 is a top front perspective view of a further embodiment showing a rounded shoulder hanger with an S-shape cross-section,

FIG. 20 is a schematic front elevation view of a still further embodiment showing a first low profile hanger with an S-shape cross-section,

FIG. 21 is a schematic front elevation view of a further embodiment showing a second low profile hanger with an S-shape cross-section, and

FIGS. 22-26 are sectional views taken along lines 22-22, 23-23, 24-24, 25-25 and 26-26 respectively in FIG. 21.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A. The S-beam Garment Hanger

The new S-beam garment hanger 10, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, as a one-piece injection molded product, has a typical hook 11 at the top and a body portion 12 formed basically as a horizontal beam. There is resilient clamp 14 at each end of beam 12 and a plurality of finger-like projections 16 spaced apart and extending downwardly from beam 12. Each clamp 14 has a pair of jaws, the inner jaw 18 being relatively rigid due to the supporting web 19 and the outer jaw 20 being resiliently pivotable away from jaw 18, to receive and hold a strap or other part of a garment. Each of the projections 16 has a supporting web 16A which strengthens and stiffens it. The hook 11 has an I-beam cross-section which enhances its strength.

Beam 12 of hanger 10, shown in cross-section in FIG. 3, has a modified S-shape. More specifically, this cross-section defines a central upright S-shaped web 22 formed by a set of upper and lower continuous reverse curves 22A, 22B respectively.

The bottom of web 22 is formed as a horizontally extending foot 23 having a toe portion 24 and an oppositely extending heel portion 25. At the top of web 22 is a similar but opposite foot 26 having a toe portion 27 and an oppositely extending heel portion 28. A central vertical axis Y1-Y1 divides this cross-section into essentially equal but non-symmetrical halves. Corresponding to this central vertical axis is a central vertical plane extending lengthwise through the S-beam.

In the cross-section as seen in FIG. 3, there are indicated front and rear planes P1 and P2 respectively that are parallel to the central vertical plane Y1-Y1. The top flange heel 28, the upper curve front part 22 and the bottom flange toe 24 all extend forward to said front plane P1. Similarly, but in reverse, the top flange toe 27, the lower curve rear part 22B and the lower flange heel 25 all extend rearward to said rear plane P2. As seen, the top and bottom flange and reverse curved web between said flange all have generally the same constant wall thickness, except for the tips of the toes and heels which are rounded to a lesser thickness. The height of the cross-section is in the range of 0.395 to 0.405 inches and the breadth is in the range of 0.183 to 0.193 inches, with a ratio of about 2.047 to 2.213 or about 2:1.

B. The Z-beam Garment Hanger

The second embodiment of the garment hanger of the present invention is called the Z-beam hanger, which is very similar to the above-described S-beam hanger, except for the fact that its horizontal beam defines in cross-section a set of upper and lower Z elements, 32 and 33 respectively, as seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The upper Z element 32 has upper horizontal foot 34, angled web 35 and lower foot 36; the lower Z element 33 has lower foot 37, angled web 38 and upper foot 39 which is the same as lower foot 36 of the upper Z element. A central vertical axis Y2-Y2 divides this cross-section into two essentially equal but non-symmetrical halves. Corresponding to the central vertical axis Y2-Y2 is a central vertical plane extending lengthwise through the Z-beam.

In the cross-section as seen in FIG. 4, there are indicated front and rear planes P3 and P4 respectively that are parallel to the central vertical plane Y2-Y2. The front edges of the top flange 34, the middle flange 36, 39 and the bottom flange 37 all extend forward to plane P4. Similarly, but in reverse, the rear edges of the top, middle and bottom flanges all extend rearward to plane P4. The wall thicknesses of these three flanges and of the inclined web parts 35 and 38 all have generally the same uniform thickness.

The load or stress on these hangers will vary depending on where and how a garment is attached and how the garment's weight is distributed. The above-described I-beam, S-beam and Z-beam elements have been tested under loading conditions simulating actual garment hanger loading, with the results shown in FIGS. 7-14 and discussed in later sections herein. For these tests the three beams of different cross-sectional shapes, namely I-beam, S-beam and Z-beam, each had essentially the same height and the same cross-sectional area and thus the same mass of plastic.

C. An S-beam Rounded Shoulder Hanger

FIG. 19 shows a rounded shoulder S-beam hanger 70 as a further embodiment of the present invention. This hanger has central part 71 with traditional rounded shoulders 72 on each side and a hook 73 at the top. The central part 71 and the shoulders 72 are formed as a continuous beam 73 of S-shape cross-section, generally similar to the S-shape cross-section described above in connection with the straight beam hangers. In this S-beam structure the upper part 73 a of the beam 73 curves outward toward the viewer, and the lower part 73 b curves away from the viewer. This hanger has optional notches or recesses 74 at the tops of the shoulders to engage straps or other parts of garments.

D. An S-beam Low Profile Hanger

FIG. 20 shows a low profile S-beam hanger 75 having a hook 76, a body part formed as a continuous beam comprising a central section 77 and arms 78 which rise to an elevation above the central part, and an array of clips or clamps 79 at the end of each arm. The S-shaped cross-section, generally as seen in earlier described embodiments herein, is employed along the length of the body part, namely along the central section 77 and along the arms 78. The line 77a schematically represents the frontward and rearward curvatures of the S-shape form of this beam. Further detail construction of this S-shape beam are seen in FIGS. 3 and 11; however, the height and proportions of the S-shape vary slightly along the length of the beam. The clips or clamps are conventional which include both rigid and resilient types

E. A Second S-beam Low Profile Hanger

FIG. 21 shows a second embodiment of a low profile S-beam hanger 80 having a hook 81, a body part formed as a continuous beam comprising a central section 82 and shoulders 83 which are elevated from the central section, and hooks, clips or clamps 84 extending downward from the shoulders 83. The S-shape cross-section, generally as seen in earlier described embodiments herein, is employed along the length of the body part, namely along the central section 82 and along the shoulders 83. The line 82 a represents the transition area between the frontward and rearward curvatures of the S-shape form of this beam. The cross-section of this S-beam varies along its length, as indicated by the sectional views in FIGS. 22-26, where FIG. 22 has the tallest section, FIG. 24 has the shortest section and all sections have substantially the same front-to-rear depth. As evident in FIG. 22, the upper and lower flanges 85, 86 respectively are substantially never parallel to each other, as the beam tapers slightly along each section of its length. Further detail construction of this S-shape beam is seen in FIGS. 3 and 11.

Following below are descriptions of load/displacement/stress plots for a prior art I-beam as a point of reference, and for the new S-beam and the new Z-beam. Each of these plots utilizes an X, Y, Z coordinate system where Y represents the vertical load direction and vertical displacement axis, Z represents the lateral load direction and lateral displacement axis, and X represents the beam's longitudinal axis.

F. I-beam: Load/Displacement/Stress Plots

In FIG. 7 the I-beam 40 in a cantilever loading configuration has its first end 42 fixed by Z, X and Y restraints and its distal or free end 44 loaded with a one pound force F1 in the Y or vertical direction. This beam is five inches long and has cross-sectional area A1 and predicted weight of 0.006334 lbs.

FIG. 8 shows the vertical load and vertical displacement plot of the I-beam 40 of FIG. 7 with the one pound vertical force F1 as seen in FIG. 7. The beam 40 in a non-loaded state is represented as the semi-transparent structure 40A, and in the loaded state is represented by the solid structure 40B. This format of transparent lines for non-loaded versus solid lines for loaded is used in connection with the remaining load/displacement/stress plots herein. Displacement D1 at the distal end 44 under this vertical load was 0.257 inches which produced a 2,153 psi von Mises stress.

FIG. 9 shows the vertical load and lateral displacement plot of 0.000241 inches in the Z-direction of the I-beam 40, where the beam has deflected laterally as a result of the vertical load.

FIG. 10 shows the buckling displacement in both Y and Z directions from a buckling load of 2.396 lbs.

G. S-beam: Load/Displacement/Stress Plots

FIG. 11 shows an S-beam 50 in a cantilever loading configuration with its first end 52 fixed by Z, X and Y restraints and its distal or free end 54 loaded with a one pound force F2 in the vertical direction. This beam has length of five inches and cross-sectional area A2 and predicted weight of 0.006022 lbs., essentially the same cross-sectional area A1 and weight as that of the I-beam of FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 shows the vertical load and vertical displacement plot of the S-beam 50 with the one pound vertical force F2 as shown in FIG. 11. Displacement D2 at the distal end 54 under this vertical load was 0.3027 inches which produced a 6.206 psi von Mises stress. As noted earlier, the non-loaded beam is represented by the semi-transparent structure, and the loaded beam is represented by the solid structure.

FIG. 13 shows for the S-beam 50 the vertical load F3 and lateral displacement plot in the Z-direction, with displacement D3=0.2015 in.

FIG. 14 shows the buckling displacement in both Y and Z directions, from a buckling load of 2.901 lbs.

H. Z-beam: Load/Displacement/Stress Plots

FIG. 15 shows a Z-beam 60 in a cantilever loading configuration with its first end 62 fixed by Z, X and Y restraints and its distal or free end 64 loaded with a one pound force F3 in the vertical direction. This beam has length of five inches and cross-sectional area A3 and predicted weight of 0.006374 lbs., essentially the same as cross-sectional areas A1 and A2 and weights of the S-beam of FIG. 11 and of the I-beam of FIG. 7, respectively.

FIG. 16 shows the vertical load and vertical displacement plot of the Z-beam 60 with the one pound vertical Force F3 shown in FIG. 15. Displacement D4 at the distal end 64 under the vertical load was 0.308 inches, which produced a 2,557 psi von Mises stress.

FIG. 17 shows for the Z-beam the vertical load and lateral displacement plot in the Z direction, with displacement D5=0.04608 in.

FIG. 18 shows for the Z-beam a buckling displacement in both Y and Z directions from a buckling load 0.875 lbs.

Table 1 shown below displays a comparison of the above-described displacement plots for the I-beam, S-beam and Z-beam, where all of these beams have the same length, load and cross-sectional area, but have different cross-sectional configurations. As seen in Table 1, when subject to the one pound vertical loading:

a. Y-Displacement: the I-beam had the least vertical (y) displacement (0.257 in.), the S-beam was next (0.303 in.), and the Z-beam had the greatest displacement (0.308 in.)

b. Z-Displacement: the I-beam had the least lateral (z) displacement (0.000 in.), the Z-beam was next (0.046 in.), and the S-beam had the greatest (0.202 in.), and

c. Buckling Load: the S-beam supported the greatest buckling load 2.901 lbs., the I-beam was next with 2.396 lbs, and the Z-beam supported the least with 2.016 lbs.

Table 2, as expected, shows the S-beam (which supported the greatest buckling load) had the lowest von Mises stress of 1,426 psi compared to 1,872 psi for the I-beam and 1,755 psi for the Z-beam. TABLE 1 Summary of Maximum Vertical Load Results Y- Z- Support End Buckling Displacement Displacement Von Mises Stress Load Design (inch) (inch) (psi) (lbs.) I-beam 0.257 0.000 1,495 2.396 S-beam 0.303 0.202 2,153 2.901 Z-beam 0.308 0.046 1,912 2.016

TABLE 2 Summary of Maximum Lateral Load Results Z-Displacement Von Mises Stress Design (inch) (psi) I-beam 0.743 1,872 S-beam 0.457 1,426 Z-beam 0.652 1,755

In all these beams the plastic was Acrco HM20Z1 Polypropylene having a modulus of 220,000 psi.

These results demonstrate that as compared to I-beams and Z-beams, the S-beam has significantly greater buckling strength. As noted above, all three beams had approximately the same cross-sectional area and thus used approximately the same amount of plastic.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. An injection molded plastic garment hanger, comprising: a. a hook having a top part, a stem extending downward from said top part and a bottom part, and b. a body part formed as a generally horizontally extending beam having a central part and arms extending oppositely from said central part and terminating in opposite ends, said bottom part of said hook being joined to said central part of said beam, said beam's central part and arms comprising a web having upper and lower portions and extending lengthwise of said beam and extending downward from said hook, said web in cross-section defining a generally S-shape comprising upper and lower portions thereof, said web's upper portion having a top part which extends forwardly as a top front flange of said beam terminating in a font edge, and said web's lower portion having a bottom part which extends rearwardly as a bottom rear flange of said beam terminating in a rear edge.
 2. A garment hanger according to claim 1 wherein said upper and lower portions of said S-shape define a set of continuous reverse curves.
 3. A garment hanger according to claim 1 wherein said web further comprises a top rear flange extending rearwardly from said top portion of said web along the length thereof, and a bottom front flange extending frontwardly from said bottom portion of said web along the length thereof.
 4. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said top rear flange and said top front flange extend generally oppositely from each other, and said bottom front flange and said bottom rear flange extend generally oppositely from each other.
 5. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said web's upper portion forms a top foot with said top front and top rear flanges being top toe and heel elements of said top foot, and said lower portion forms a bottom foot with said bottom front and rear flanges being bottom toe and heel elements of said bottom foot.
 6. A garment hanger according to claim 5 wherein said top toe and heel elements extend generally in a top plane and said bottom heel and toe elements extend generally in a bottom plane generally parallel to said top plane.
 7. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said top front and top rear flanges extend generally horizontally in a common top plane, and said bottom front and bottom rear flanges extend generally horizontally in a common bottom plane.
 8. A garment hanger according to claim 1 wherein said web has a generally uniform thickness.
 9. A garment hanger according to claim 4 wherein said web defines a central vertical plane extending lengthwise therethrough, and said front top and bottom flanges and said rear top and bottom flanges have front edges and rear edges respectively which extend forward and rearward respectively of said central vertical plane by generally equal distances.
 10. A garment hanger according to claim 9 wherein said upper and lower curves of said S-shape extend forward and rearward of said central vertical plane generally by the same distance as said front and rear flanges extend.
 11. A hanger according to claim 9 wherein said S-shape in cross section defines an area forward of said central vertical plane of said web that is substantially the same as the cross-sectional area rearward of said central vertical plane.
 12. A hanger according to claim 1 wherein said garment hanger is a one piece injection molded product.
 13. A hanger according to claim 1 wherein said S shape cross section has height to breadth ratio of about 2:1.
 14. An injection molded plastic garment hanger, comprising: a. a hook having a top part, a stem extending downwardly from said top part and a bottom part, and b. a body part formed as a beam extending transversely of said hook, said beam having a central part and arms extending oppositely from said central part and terminating in opposite ends, said bottom part of said hook being joined to said central part of said beam, said beam's central part and arms comprising a web having upper and lower portions extending lengthwise of said beam and extending downward from said hook, said web in cross-section defining a generally Z-shape comprising a stem, with upper and lower portions of said web forming respectively a top front flange extending forwardly and terminating in a front edge, and a bottom rear flange extending rearwardly and terminating in a rear edge.
 15. A garment hanger according to claim 14 wherein said web in cross-section comprises a set of upper and lower Z-shapes, where each Z-shape has upper and lower generally horizontal feet, and where the lower foot of the upper Z-shape comprises the upper foot of the lower Z-shape, this common foot being an intermediate flange between said top front and bottom rear flanges.
 16. A garment hanger according to claim 15 wherein said top front flange, bottom rear flange and intermediate flange have substantially the same thickness and depth.
 17. A hanger according to claim 14 wherein said garment hanger is a one piece injection molded product.
 18. A hanger according to claim 14 wherein said upper and lower Z shapes have essentially the same size and shape.
 19. A hanger according to claim 14 wherein said web's cross section has height to breadth ratio of about 2:1.
 20. A hanger according to claim 14 wherein said web's cross section has height to breadth ratio in the range of about 1.7 to 2.4.
 21. An injection molded plastic garment hanger comprising: a. a hook having a top and bottom parts, and b. a body part formed as a transversely extending beam having a central part and shoulder parts extending outward from said central part and terminating in opposite ends, said bottom part of said hook being joined to said central part of said beam, said shoulder parts situated at an elevation different from said central part, said beam's central part and shoulder parts comprising a web extending lengthwise of said beam and extending downward from said hook, said web in cross-section defining a generally S-shape comprising upper and lower portions thereof, said web's upper portion having a top part which extends forwardly as a top front flange of said beam terminating in a front edge, and said web's lower portion having a bottom part which extends rearwardly as a bottom rear flange of said beam terminating in a rear edge.
 22. A hanger according to claim 21 wherein said shoulder parts curve outward and downward from said central part.
 23. A hanger according to claim 21 wherein shoulder parts are at an elevation above said central part. 